, police loyal to President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, usually known by his nickname Farmaajo, turned

It takes place during the Horn of Africa nation's worst drought in four decades and against a depressingly familiar background of violence due to a war by Islamist rebels, in-fighting among security forces and clan rivalries.... The head of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, Said Abdulahi Deni, also has a good chance, analysts say.... Some 329 parliamentarians from both houses are eligible to vote. African Union peacekeepers will guard the site during an expected two or three rounds of vo

I believe another liar will be elected, ” said Fardawsa Ahmed, a restaurant owner. But local elder Aden Osman was more optimistic.“ Lawmakers used to elect the one who gave them the biggest hidden hand-shake( bribe).... Now they may eat from all hands, but will choose a good man.... That is good, ” he said. Reporting by Abdi Sheikh and Hereward Holland; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Andrew CawthorneOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles....